Circular Platform Professional Jobs
A mega-trend driving new demand for talent.
Linear marketplaces make up the majority of digital platforms operating worldwide. It is therefore not surprising that most platform professional job opportunities are found among platforms operating in line with this conventional economic model that largely ignores material reuse and life extension.
However, this is beginning to change. As I show below, circular platforms exist and are posting interesting and well-paying jobs. A circular platform is a digital or online ecosystem that facilitates the exchange, trade, or sharing of products, materials, or assets with a focus on promoting circular economy principles. A circular economy aims to minimize waste and resource consumption by extending the lifespan of products, promoting their reuse, repair, and recycling rather than the traditional linear model of "take, make, dispose.“ In short, circular platforms aim to leverage digital technology and platform advantages to internalize externalities as their primary business model.
There are several factors that are driving more demand for talent to support circular digital marketplaces for reuse, repair, and recycling. These factors include:
Greater consumer demand for sustainable and ethical products and services. As consumers become more aware of environmental issues, there is a growing demand for businesses to adopt circular models that reduce waste. Hiring talent to build digital platforms that enable circular flows caters to this market.
Government policies and regulations that incentivize circular models. Many governments are introducing stricter regulations around sustainability, waste reduction, and extended producer responsibility. This pushes companies to explore circular models, requiring new skills and talent.
Advances in digital technologies like IoT, blockchain, artificial intelligence, etc. These technologies are enabling the tracking of materials through supply chains and the creation of decentralized marketplaces. Companies need skilled talent to leverage these technologies for circular models.
Pressure from investors and shareholders for sustainability. There is an increasing focus on ESG metrics by the investment community. Adopting circular models can improve sustainability ratings and access to capital. This provides an incentive for companies to hire relevant talent.
Innovation and cost reduction opportunities. Circular models can lead to innovative product and service offerings while also reducing costs through reuse and recycling. Hiring talent to capture these benefits is appealing.
Younger demographics demanding sustainability. With millennials and Gen Z showing a preference for ethical and eco-friendly brands, companies are responding by building circular capabilities through new hires.
In short, consumer demand, policy, technology, investment trends, and demographics are converging to create greater opportunities for circular platforms and, as a consequence, a growing need for a new form of platform talent.
To illustrate this trend, I’ve collected a sample of 11 recently posted positions at circular platforms. The roles span different functions from marketing, operations, product, engineering, sales, and partnerships. They also reflect significant geographic diversity. The job postings represent companies and opportunities located in the United States, Singapore, Japan, Germany, Netherlands, Finland, the United Kingdom, and Austria. This indicates a global demand for talent to support the growth of circular economy companies and business models worldwide.
As indicated in Table 1 these jobs can be found in:
United States: Back Market (US Head of Marketing), thredUP (Senior Manager, Product Design), Poshmark (Senior HR Business Partner), Rheaply (Senior Enterprise Account Executive)
Singapore: Carousell Group (E-Commerce Operation Executive)
Japan: Mercari (Product Manager, Category Growth)
Germany: Metalshub (Senior Manager, Strategic Accounts)
Netherlands: Vinted (Business Continuity Manager)
Finland: Swappie (Engineering Lead, Product Care)
United Kingdom: Too Good To Go (Global Care Solution Architect Manager)
Austria: Refurbed (Supply Partnerships Manager)
Table 1. Sample of Circular Platfrom Professional Jobs
Most of the roles are mid-senior level positions requiring proven experience of 3-5 years or more in relevant areas. Several roles like product management, sales, and partnerships involve cross-functional collaboration and influencing diverse stakeholders. Strong communication skills are valued. Positions such as engineering leadership and product design leadership emphasize technical skills and knowledge of advanced digital technologies like cloud, AI, and blockchain. Domain expertise in areas like supply chain, e-commerce operations, product design is needed for functional roles. A passion for advancing sustainability is a major plus. All the companies in this sample champion their sustainability mission and culture of diversity, inclusion and learning. Impact-driven candidates are encouraged to apply.
A more detailed description of each position follows:
Back Market | U.S. Head of Marketing
Back Market is seeking a U.S. Head of Marketing to lead strategic marketing initiatives and creative vision for their refurbished electronics marketplace. With a global team of 700 across 17 countries, Back Market aims to empower sustainable tech consumption as an eco-friendly alternative. The role involves translating global marketing strategy into actionable plans for the U.S., ensuring business growth, creating innovative marketing campaigns for the U.S. audience, collaborating with cross-functional teams, and identifying partnerships. The Head of Marketing will safeguard the brand's integrity, refine its value proposition, manage relationships with stakeholders, support new product launches, and exhibit strong leadership and budget management skills. The ideal candidate possesses a B2C marketing background, emphasizes creativity and innovation, has experience in launching initiatives and forming brand partnerships, and demonstrates strong analytical and communication skills. A focus on sustainability and experience in retail or e-commerce is preferred.
Carousell Group | E-Commerce Operation Executive
Carousell Group, based in Singapore, is hiring for the position of E-Commerce Operation Executive. The company operates as a leading multi-category platform for secondhand items in Greater Southeast Asia. They have a presence in multiple markets and brands, including Carousell, Cho Tot, Laku6, Mudah.my, OneShift, Ox Luxe, Ox Street, and Refash. The company's mission is to encourage selling and promote secondhand items as the preferred choice. The E-Commerce Operation Executive will primarily support the efficient operation of the company's e-commerce activities. Responsibilities include assisting the e-commerce operations team in various tasks such as product onboarding, stock management, product photography, and editing, uploading products online, order fulfillment, coordinating with logistics partners, supporting customer inquiries, and managing warehouse inventory. The role also involves planning and managing manpower based on supply-demand dynamics. The position requires a Diploma in Supply Chain/Logistics Management, 2 to 3 years of experience in the FMCG or consumer industry, good knowledge of warehouse and inventory management, and effective communication and organizational skills.
Mercari | Product Manager, Category Growth
Mercari, Inc., the Japanese online platform for buying and selling used items, is looking for a Product Manager (Category Growth) to join their team. The position is full-time, mid-senior level, and can be done remotely. Mercari operates as a global marketplace app aiming to unleash potential by circulating all forms of value. The company values diversity and inclusion and aims to create a world where everyone can freely create value. The Product Manager in the Category Growth division will contribute to the development and operation of the Mercari marketplace app. The division focuses on specific categories, tailoring features to their unique needs to enhance the user experience and establish Mercari as a go-to platform for buying and selling within those categories. The role requires at least five years of experience as a product manager for internet/smartphone-related products, collaboration with diverse stakeholders, leadership and communication skills, data-driven decision-making experience, a passion for the product, and team management experience. The company encourages those interested in making an impact with bold ideas and collaborating with diverse team members to apply.
Metalshub | Senior Manager, Strategic Accounts
Metalshub, located in Düsseldorf, Germany, is seeking a Senior Manager for Strategic Accounts. This is a full-time position at a mid-senior level. Metalshub Metalshub is a digital platform for metal trading, including scrap steel. The platform provides pricing information and allows buyers and sellers to connect and transact. The Senior Manager's mission includes driving innovation in customer organizations, independently managing customer onboarding processes, engaging with decision-makers for digital transformation, coordinating feature implementation projects for customers, and contributing to the growth of Metalshub through customer success stories. The ideal candidate should possess at least four years of experience in driving outcomes in fast-paced environments such as management consulting, project management, or startups. A customer-centric mindset, excellent communication skills in English, confidence in engaging with decision-makers, and project management experience are essential for success in this role. The position offers an opportunity to work with a passionate team and contribute to Metalshub's vision of becoming a leading platform for the metals and ferroalloys community.
thredUP | Senior Manager, Product Design
thredUP, located in Oakland, CA, is hiring a Senior Manager of Product Design for their circular retail apparel and fashion platform. This is a full-time, mid-senior level position within a hybrid work model. thredUP is a resale platform that focuses on transforming the fashion industry by promoting secondhand shopping and sustainability. The Senior Manager of Product Design will play a crucial role in shaping the product experience across various platforms. Collaborating with product, marketing, data science, research, and engineering teams, this role aims to build a user-centric product design and UX strategy. Leading a team of product designers and UX researchers, the Senior Manager will advocate for design best practices, leverage customer research and data, and drive innovation in design solutions. Key responsibilities include providing direction for product design, championing UX research practices, utilizing data-driven insights for design recommendations, staying updated on digital trends, collaborating across teams, and delivering engaging content that aligns with stakeholder and customer expectations. The ideal candidate should have experience managing product design teams, exhibit strong design leadership, possess excellent visual and interaction design skills, integrate customer research into design processes, and excel in collaborating across multiple teams and stakeholders. The role offers an opportunity to contribute to transforming the way consumers shop and promoting sustainability in the fashion industry.
Poshmark | Senior Human Resource Business Partner
Poshmark, located in Redwood City, CA, is seeking a Senior Human Resource Business Partner to support the technology, engineering, and data science needs of the company’s circular marketplace. This is a full-time, mid-senior level role. Poshmark is a leading social marketplace for new and secondhand style, emphasizing a combination of physical shopping's human connection with e-commerce's convenience. The Senior HR Business Partner will collaborate with leaders to provide tailored HR solutions across various functions, including talent management, organization design, leadership effectiveness, engagement, diversity, and compensation. Key responsibilities include partnering with businesses for talent management and organizational planning, aligning performance management with values, driving employee engagement, collaborating with global HR teams, coaching managers and leaders, leading organizational changes, and articulating and implementing change initiatives. The ideal candidate should have at least 8 years of HR experience, including 5 years in an HRBP role supporting senior leaders, experience in fast-growing global technology organizations, excellent relationship-building skills, flexibility in a changing environment, effective communication and influence abilities, experience with transformational change, and the ability to align HR and business strategy.
Rheaply | Senior Enterprise Account Executive
Rheaply, a Chicago-based circular solutions provider, is seeking a Senior Enterprise Account Executive. Rheaply's has developed a platform for companies and organizations to exchange resources and materials, track cost savings and reduce waste. The Senior Account Executive will report to the Manager of Enterprise Sales and collaborate with large global corporations to reduce environmental impact, transition to a circular economy, and achieve cost savings through waste diversion. The responsibilities of this position include: Managing a portfolio of accounts and achieving goals related to pipeline development, net new ARR, and acquiring new logos, developing detailed account strategies for named accounts within a subset of major global companies across diverse industries, establishing executive relationships across corporate divisions to influence long-term technology, business, and sustainability initiatives and generating new sales opportunities through outbound calls, emails, event attendance, and converting leads. Successful candidates are expected to have 3+ years of enterprise-level SaaS sales experience, preferably selling to C-Level decision makers in areas like operations, sustainability, finance, IT, or supply chain a proven track record of meeting quarterly and annual quotas and experience closing complex sales deals. This role provides an opportunity to engage with diverse industries, contribute to Rheaply's mission of sustainability, and drive the growth of the company's circular solutions.
Vinted | Business Continuity Manager
Vinted, based in Amsterdam, Netherlands, is seeking a Business Continuity Manager. Vinted is a leading online C2C marketplace in Europe for second-hand fashion, connecting over 80 million registered members across 19 markets. The company is dedicated to promoting second-hand choices and sustainability. As a Business Continuity Manager within the Security Compliance team, the role involves developing and maintaining a business continuity management system, performing business impact assessments, selecting appropriate continuity and disaster recovery strategies, ensuring proper implementation of selected strategies, documenting continuity policies and plans, and organizing and coordinating testing exercises. The ideal candidate should have a good understanding of crisis management, business continuity, and disaster recovery, along with practical experience in business continuity management. Knowledge of relevant frameworks such as ISO/IEC 22301 and BCMI, strong information security and risk management knowledge, familiarity with modern IT technologies and cloud computing, and agility in improving business continuity methods are required. Communication skills, spoken and written English proficiency, and the ability to balance stakeholder needs are essential. The position offers an opportunity to contribute to the development of Vinted's business continuity capacities in a dynamic and growing organization.
Swappie | Engineering Lead, Product Care
Swappie, a Finnish circular platform, is seeking an Engineering Lead for their Care product area. The company specializes in refurbished electronics and aims to drive environmental sustainability while making refurbished electronics mainstream. The Engineering Lead will play a pivotal role in leading a cross-functional product team focused on subscriptions and post-purchase experiences, including warranty, returns, and their iPhone replacement subscription service, Swappie Care. Responsibilities include leading software development from planning to delivery, fostering a collaborative environment, being accountable for technical design and implementation, and collaborating with non-technical stakeholders and product team members to assess opportunities and prioritize development. The position also requires possessing a thorough understanding of one modern tech stack and familiarity with Swappie's technologies. Successful candidates will prioritize workload, exhibit a can-do attitude with optimism and impact orientation, thrive in a fast-paced environment, work independently and collaboratively, and demonstrate a proactive growth mindset. The role offers the chance to lead software development efforts with an immediate impact on customer experience and the company's mission.
Too Good To Go | Global Care Solution Architect Manager
Too Good To Go, a London-based circular platform, is hiring a Global Care Solution Architect Manager to join their Global Care Team. The company is committed to combating food waste and its environmental consequences through its app, which connects surplus food from businesses with consumers willing to buy it at a reduced price. Responsibilities of the role include: Overseeing enhancements to the customer service platform, spanning from concept to operational implementation, taking ownership of the customer service platform, incorporating new communication channels and automation and establishing Care Platform Operations in new markets, introducing new services, and optimizing workflows. Expectations for the role include: Demonstrated experience in implementing, managing, and developing Customer Service Platforms and intelligent chatbots, proficiency in leading strategic projects involving various teams and stakeholders, including the replacement of customer care platforms with chat and smart bots and previous engagement in senior stakeholder management and ability to drive results through influence. The role offers an opportunity to spearhead advancements in customer service and contribute to Too Good To Go's mission of reducing global food waste and its environmental impact.
Refurbed | Supply Partnerships Manager
Refurbed, a fast-growing online marketplace for refurbished products in Europe, is seeking a Supply Partnerships Manager to join its sustainability mission. This remote role based in Vienna will lead supplier acquisition, manage strategic partnerships, and drive long-term projects for the supply department. The ideal candidate is data-driven, adaptable, and passionate about sustainability. Key responsibilities include acquiring brand owners and distributors, managing relationships with strategic suppliers, and developing value-add industry partnerships. Refurbed offers a flexible work culture focused on learning and development, along with office perks. The company aims to reduce waste and make consumption more sustainable across Europe. This is an opportunity to use your skills and talent to create a positive environmental impact.
Conclusion
The shift to a more circular economy is a mega-trend that will gather momentum through the rest of the decade. A combination of forces is coalescing to establish and scale more circular marketplaces. An important consequence is to spur demand for a new generation of circular platform professionals.
Circular platforms are enabling new ways to extend product life cycles, enable sharing, connect supply and demand, and create circular value chains. There is every reason to expect that there will be growing opportunities for professionals who want to combine their passion for reducing material waste with specialized platform-related skills and experience.